Posts Tagged “raekwon”

A few years ago, MTV started the “Hottest MC’s in the Game” list. If you couldn’t figure out what they do by the title, the network sits around with hip-hop “experts” and others to argue out who the hottest is, and in the process come up with a ranked list.

It was just revealed today that Raekwon has come in at #10. Not a bad choice, but the way rankings are given out is a system that is strikingly similar to another confusing, unscientific ranking system.

I’m talking about the NCAA Football rankings a.k.a. the BCS. TV networks like ESPN have created countless TV shows and even new networks (ESPN U) that revolve around discussing this ambiguous system no one quite has a grip on.

So, this is where I come in. Think of me as a slightly more coherent Lou Holtz. I’ll break down the MTV list in a way college football fans could understand: I’ll explain what team each rapper could be described as.

So who is Raekwon?

(photo credit: AP/ESPN)

University of Miami

For a good part of the 90’s, Miami was a powerhouse. And their players were characters. Flambouyant, confident, and sometimes in trouble with the law or the university, but always winners. Think Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, and Michael Irvin. However, something went wrong in the past decade. The mighty U wasn’t so mighty anymore. No national titles, no bowl games, but everyone knew the name.

Now it’s 2009 and Miami (so far) looks like they could win the ACC and maybe get back in the BCS graces.

Does that sound similar to a certain hip-hop clique that ruled the 90’s? Thought so. The Wu-Tang Clan may as well have been the University of Miami. They ran the 90’s, but most of the members oddly fell into obscurity after experiencing early solo success. It was a big fall for a group of dudes with attitude, flamboyance, endless merchandise, and a video game (remember that?).

However, in the past year, Raekwon’s star has been reborn. Getting caught up in the blog-explosion, Rae dropped new tracks, mixtapes, features, and finally delivered the follow-up to his masterpiece, Only Built for Cuban Linx 2.

In a press release that was literally just sent out, Raekwon announced that he has just inked a deal with EMI that will release Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2. With how exciting the press release was, I thought we would see a release date, but there still isn’t one.

Is it really big news that an album has a label anymore?

…News enough for me to post it… and for me to care…

Press Release:

(NEW YORK – April 15, 2009) – Ready to give his worldwide following what they’ve been waiting for, the Wu-Tang Clan’s rhyme slinger extraordinaire Raekwon is set to return this summer with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.

Raekwon, whose 1995 platinum classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was universally hailed as a rap classic and has sold more than 1.1 million units in the US, according to Nielsen Soundscan, has signed a distribution deal with EMI Label Services for his ICEH20 Records label to release Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 in the US and Canada later this summer. EMI Label Services will also provide Raekwon with additional radio promotion support and licensing and synchronization services.

“The wait is finally over,” Raekwon says. “Words cannot describe how extremely happy I am to work with EMI Music to put out my album.”

The way some of these tracks sound, I would not be surprised if Only Built for Cuban Linx 2 did the impossible- back to back classic albums from one artist. Nearly 15 years after OB4CL’s release, in the age of mixtapes and YouTube, a guy from the days of old was able to keep himself relevant with a bunch of young people my age (21) and younger.

After listening to the Wu-Tang Clan quite a bit during my formative years, Raekwon became my favorite member of the Wu after the opening track of OB4CL, but even as a Rae stan, I never thought he’d have the longevity we all thought Method Man would have, or Ghostface has shown to have.

As far as Only Built for Cuban Linx 2 is concerned, there is apparently an April 7 release date pinned as of now (don’t count on that), and a video has been shot for what is probably the album’s first single, “Wu Ohh”…

When I heard about this video, I actually thought there would be studio footage of these guys working on the album. But now more than ever, I’m convinced this is the Wu’s Detox: super-hyped, and we won’t ever see it.